Chanel

Chanel: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “canal”
Origin: French
Say it: shuh-NEL · 2 syllables
Used for: Girls

Chanel is a French surname derived from an old word related to “canal.” Its use as a given name was influenced by the fashion surname of Coco Chanel.

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How popular is Chanel?

202458.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Chanel in 2024192

2024 rank#1,223 girls

Peak year1991

Total US babies since 188019,011

Chanel has been fairly stable over the last fifteen years.

Names like Chanel

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Charlottefree man · French
Eleanormeaning uncertain · French
Eloisehealthy; wide · French
Claireclear, bright · French
Nataliebirthday of the Lord · French
Madelineof Magdala · French
Carolinefree woman · French
Allisonnoble kind · French

Chanel questions

What does the name Chanel mean?

Chanel means "canal". It comes from French. Chanel is a French surname derived from an old word related to “canal.” Its use as a given name was influenced by the fashion surname of Coco Chanel.

Is Chanel a boy or girl name?

Chanel is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Chanel?

192 US babies were named Chanel in 2024. Its peak year was 1991.

How do you pronounce Chanel?

Chanel is usually pronounced shuh-NEL.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.